Jessa's 11 Easy Tricks To Simplify Your Makeup Routine

So excited to share this video with all of you! On our recent trip to LA we shot this video with Buzzfeed. Check out my simple and quick tips that you add into your beauty routine ASAP. Oh yeah- and I'm a GIF :) Check it out...

Check out the whole post and all the GIF's here

HOW TO: Be a bronze goddess... my favorite tan in a bottle

To help prep for SUMMER (I cannot wait!!), Harpers Bazzar asked about my favorite sunless tanner- 

Chocolate Sun Cocoa Lite Sunless Enhancer

Why the pros love it: “It’s packed full of ultra nourishing, healing ingredients like aloe, coconut oil, shea butter and sweet almond oil to hydrate your skin and help it glow. The ‘tanned’ look that it provides is gradual, which is good because it allows for the inevitable careless application.” — Jessa Blades

Chocolate Sun Cocoa Lite Sunless Enhancer, $40, spiritbeautylounge.com.

Holiday Shopping Party and Trunk Show

Please join us, Kahina Giving Beauty, at Corrente Handbags, 179 Orchard in the Lower East Side, NYC, for a very special trunk show Thursday, Dec. 8, 6 to 9 PM.

We’ve invited top organic & natural make up artist Jessa Blades to help you color match, experiment with new make up brands, and refresh your look with a mini makeover. Enjoy refreshments (wine!) while you shop Corrente’s amazing locally-designed and produced leather goods, Kahina Giving Beauty, and Jessa's favorite natural beauty products and gifts. Yes, this is a party. And you’re invited. RSVPs encouraged-  email mairin@givingbeauty.com.

HOW TO: Prep your skin for winter

Now that Thanksgiving is over I'm finally accepting the fact that winter is here. Root veggies, crock pots, wool socks and hydrating skin care is what I have been thinking about lately. I know how hard winter can be on your skin and I am here to help! Check out this video I did with the great folks over at Abe's Market. In it I share my tips and tricks to help you prep your skin for this upcoming season.

HOW-TO: Make Lavender and Rose Body Powder

Sweaty Summertime calls for all sorts of recipes and ideas to help you deal with the heat. I'm a big fan of powders, for hair and body. If you are looking for a fun project, consider making this super easy Body Powder-         

Jessa's interview from Stylecaster.com: "This is one of my favorite recipes. This powder is a natural deodorizer because of its absorbent properties. Once you are done making it, you can put it in a spice shaker for sprinkling on the body or just apply it by hand. Have fun and be creative with powders; they can be scented any way you like, and they are so simple and inexpensive to make."

Shopping List:
1 cup white cosmetic grade clay
1-2 cups cornstarch (you can substitute with arrowroot powder)
3-5 drops of essential oils- my favorite is lavender
Lavender and Rose flowers (optional but they make it look really beautiful!)
1. In a large bowl, using a wire whisk or fork, mix the clay and cornstarch together.
2. Add essential oil (note: It will absorb quite a bit)
3. If you decide to add the herbs, finely grind the lavender and roses (or other herbs of your choice) to a fine powder. Sift. Then grind again. They must be as powdered as possible or they will give a gritty feeling to the powder. A coffee or seed and nut grinder will work fairly well (make sure the grinder is VERY clean or you will smell like coffee).
4. Cover the body powder with a porous cloth and let sit for several hours to dry. Package in a powder container, spice jar with a shaker top or a vintage glass bottle.

Good luck and let me know how it goes!  

Time to stop using Cetaphil

Lately there has been some talk about why Cetaphil face cleanser should be avoided. I constantly hear people say that they have been washing their faces with it for years and are shocked when I tell them that they should consider trying something else. I used it for about twelve years, it was recommended to me by Dermatologists and countless doctors. So I'm speaking from very personal experience. It may seem hard to let go, but it will truly benefit your skin to use something else, I promise.

Check out the recent post (with LOTS of comments) from WellandGood.com...
"Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser contains just eight ingredients: water, cetyl alcohol, propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, stearyl alcohol, methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben. All but the water are chemically manufactured (let’s hope), and propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, and the three parabens have a seat on the dirty dozen, a list of cosmetic ingredients to avoid as potentially toxic." 

See folks- this "gentle" cleanser is not so gentle. You don't have to understand what these ingredients are or what they do- just understand enough to know that you should stop using it.
 
Here is my follow-up comment about my experience with Cetaphil-
"As a Cetaphil user for years I understand why people tend to freak out when they learn that it’s filled with some not-so-helpful ingredients. How can it be so bad if your dermatologist told you that it will help your skin? That it is so gentle, you don’t even need to use water to take it off! I used to think that there was something really wrong with my skin, I went to countless dermatologists looking for help. They claimed to understand my dry, sensitive skin and told me to use Cetaphil and Aquaphor. I believed that they were on my team, that these products would really help heal my skin. Well, let’s just say that the products didn’t help at all. I now know that my skin is totally normal BUT what it was sensitive to- were the irritants in those very products that the doctor was telling me to use.
So to all of those ladies (and men) who are skeptical about what folks are saying about Cetaphil- let me invite you to experiment- to stop using it- try one of the products that are recommended on the site- or even just try using raw/organic coconut oil to clean and moisturize your face…. I promise you, your skin will improve. My skin has changed 100% for the better since I stopped using Cetaphil and the other products that the dermatologist suggested."